# US 2018/0324671 A1 · Methods of and systems of service capabilities exposure function (scef) based internet-of-things (iot) communications

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- Number: US 2018/0324671 A1
- Document ID: US20180324671A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/973,322
- Filed: 2018-05-07
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-05
- Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Applicants: Affirmed Networks, Inc.
- Inventors: Prasasth PALNATI; Anand KRISHNAMURTHY; Srinivas KAPPLA; Deepak GARG; Santos Kumar DAS
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324671A1

## CPC

- H04L 63/0209: {Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones}
- G06F 9/547: {Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services}
- H04L 12/1407: {Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture}
- H04L 61/4511: using domain name system [DNS]
- H04L 63/0823: {using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263)}
- H04L 63/0876: {based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint}
- H04L 63/20: {for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227)}
- H04M 15/66: {Policy and charging system}
- H04W 4/14: Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
- H04W 8/04: Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
- H04W 8/26: Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
- H04W 12/069: using certificates or pre-shared keys
- H04W 12/086: using security domains
- H04W 28/0268: {using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] (negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24)}
- H04W 40/30: for proactive routing
- H04W 52/0229: {where the received signal is a wanted signal}
- H04L 63/168: {above the transport layer}
- H04W 80/12: Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]
- H04W 88/14: Backbone network devices
- H04W 88/16: Gateway arrangements
- Y02D 30/70: in wireless communication networks
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- Y02D: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE

## Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for an augmented Service Capability Exposure Function (A-SCEF). The A-SCEF may receive upstream or downstream traffic and direct or process that traffic in accordance with policy profiles. The policy profiles may be associated with various entities that may have interrelationships. The policy profiles may allow a network operator to better control multiple entities on the network while simplifying use of the network for the customers, such as those associated with a large number of internet of things (IOT) devices.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving, by at least one augmented service capability exposure function (A-SCEF), a command message from an application server (AS) comprising:
an external identification tag,
an application programming interface (API) instruction associated with the external identification tag, and
a security credential;
confirming that the security credential is authorized for the external identification tag;
in response to the confirming, locating in a first electronically searchable catalog, by the at least one A-SCEF, at least one network identifier associated with the external identification tag, wherein the at least one network identifier is different from the external identification tag; and
sending a communication to at least one user equipment (UE) associated with the at least one network identifier based on the API instruction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the confirming includes locating an association between the external identification tag and the security credential in a second electronically searchable catalog of a plurality of external identification tags and associated security credentials.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the external identification tag is an external group identification tag, and the at least one network identifier associated with the group external identification tag comprises a plurality of associated network identifiers, each one of the plurality of associated network identifiers identifying a respective UE, and wherein the sending the communication comprises sending to each of the UEs associated with the plurality of network identifiers respective communications.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the API instruction is a forward data instruction, and wherein:
the method further includes identifying, in response to the forward data instruction, in a policy profile associated with at least one of the AS or the UE, a forward data policy setting, wherein the forward data policy setting is at least one of:
an active pull setting,
a store-and-forward setting,
a data rate setting,
a memory allocation setting, or
a priority setting; and
the sending the communication to the at least one UE comprises at least one of sending the communication at least one of at a time interval, at a rate, or after other communications between the UE and the A-SCEF or the AS and the A-SCEF, based on the data policy setting.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the sending the communication based on the data policy setting is sent independent of the API instruction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the command message further comprising a reply iterval, and the method further comprising:
receiving by the A-SCEF the update messages, comprising data, from the UE associated with the network identifier;
locating in the electronically searchable catalog, by the A-SCEF, the external identification tag associated with the network identifier; and
sending, by the A-SCEF in accordance with the reply interval, a reply message to the AS, the message comprising:
the external identification tag, and
the data received from the UE associated with the network identifier.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the command message is a send data command message further comprising data, and the method further comprises sending the data in the communication to the at least one UE.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises a short message service (SMS), and wherein the API instruction is a device trigger that instructs the at least one UE to transition from a sleep state wherein power consumption is reduced to a non-sleep state and to connect to an application.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting, by the A-SCEF, a data connectivity pathway to the at least one UE from at least two data connectivity pathways, and wherein the sending the communication to the at least one UE associated with the at least one network identifier based on the API instruction further comprises sending the communication to the at least one UE associated with the at least one network identifier over the selected data connectivity pathway.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting a data connectivity pathway is independent of the type of API instruction.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting, by the A-SCEF, the data connectivity pathway to the at least one UE from the at least two data connectivity pathways comprises:
determining whether more than one of the at least two data connectivity pathways is open;
on the condition that more than one of the at least two data connectivity pathways are open, the selecting, by the A-SCEF, the data connectivity pathway to the UE from at least two data connectivity pathways comprises:
determining a preferred data connectivity pathway based on a selection hierarchy, and
selecting the preferred data connectivity pathway; and
on the condition that only one of the at least two data connectivity pathways is open, the selecting, by the A-SCEF, the data connectivity pathway to the UE from the at least two data connectivity pathways comprises selecting the open one of the at least two data connectivity pathways.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the selecting, by the A-SCEF, the data connectivity pathway to the UE from the at least two data connectivity pathways comprises locating, in a UE capabilities database, a device capabilities list associated with the UE.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the selected data connectivity pathway comprises at least one of:
a non-IP-via-SGi connectivity pathway;
an IP-via-SGi connectivity pathway;
an NIDD-via-T6a connectivity pathway;
an MT-SMS-via-T4 connectivity pathway;
an SMS-via-SGd connectivity pathway; or
an SMS-via-Gd connectivity pathway.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the connectivity pathway is selected based traffic data associated with at least one of the at least two data connectivity pathways.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the traffic data associated with the 3GPP network comprises at least one of:
network latency across at least one connectivity pathway;
historical network latency across at least one connectivity pathway;
load information on at least part of the 3GPP network;
historical load information on at least part of the 3GPP network; or
priority information.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the A-SCEF includes a device gateway function (DG) and a plurality of service capability exposure functions (SCEFs); wherein the locating the at least one network identifier is by the DG; and wherein the sending the communication to the at least one UE comprises:
the DG selecting an active SCEF associated with the UE from among the plurality of SCEFs; and
the DG sending the network identifier and information based on the API instruction to the selected SCEF.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the receiving is by the DG and the receiving comprises receiving via a fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the A-SCEF includes a device gateway function (DG) and a service capability exposure function (SCEF);
the locating the at least one network identifier is by the DG; and
the sending the communication to the at least one UE comprises the DG sending the network identifier and information based on the API instruction to the SCEF.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein the receiving is by the DG and the receiving comprises receiving via a fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the communication to the at least one UE comprises:
selecting an SGi pathway; and
sending at least the network identifier to a PGW via the selected SGI pathway.

### Claim at position 21

21-91. (canceled)